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Works Cited
Primary Sources
"Albert Einstein's Letters to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt." Einstein's Letters to
Roosevelt. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. This website gave us a typed copy of Einsteins first letter to
Roosevelt informing him on the possibility of a creation of an Atomic Bomb in Germany. With
this website we were able to see the exact words from Einstein, which gave us a clearer and more
personal understanding on why the United States started building the atomic bomb. From
Einsteins words, we were able to depict exactly what information he gave to the President. It
was interesting to annotate his words and see what exactly was the reason Roosevelt started the
Manhattan Project. Because this letter had direct words and information from Einstein, it was
easily more reliable than any other source annotating the letter.
Flerov, Georgy. 1942. Print. Georgy Flerov was a Soviet nuclear physicist. In 1942 he
noticed that articles about nuclear fission were no longer appearing in American articles and
newspapers. He warns the KGB and the president of the Soviet Union that he believes that this
absence of updates does not mean that America is no longer trying to create an atomic bomb.
The seal of silence has been imposed, he stated, and this is the best proof of vigourous work
that is going on now abroad. This means that the silence is a dead giveaway of the active work
on the atomic bomb going on in America. In a way, this is a warning to the KGB and the Soviet
Union Government. He is basically saying that intense work is going on in America, and the
Soviet Union needs to take immediate action.
Allison, Samuel K. UChicago Physicist. Print. Samuel K. Allison was an American
physicist who was involved in the Manhattan Project, for which he was awarded the Medal for
Merit. He was there during the Chicago Pile, where American scientist found out that a chain

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reaction with the uranium atom is possible. This meant that it was possible to build an atomic
weapon. He said that all of us knew that with the advent of a chain reaction, the world would
never be the same again. Of course, after finding out the chain reaction was indeed possible, he
was ecstatic, however; just like everyone else, he knew that this would change the world. This
meant that humanity was finally able to create a way to destroy itself. Although excited, it was
all around an eerie feeling.
Headquarters, Moscow. 1942. Print. Moscow Headquarters were very weary about the
work with uranium and the atomic bomb going on in America and Germany. KGB headquarters
in Moscow informs the rest of the KGB that they must take immediate action. They sent out a
message that read: Germany and the US are frantically working to obtain uranium and use it as
an explosive to make a bomb of enormous destructive power, and to all appearances, the problem
is quite close to practical solution. It is essential that we take up this problem in all seriousness.
As you can see, the Soviet Union was very worried that they wouldnt be able to even place in
the race to build the atomic bomb.
Secondary Sources
"Timeline - The Race to Build the Atomic Bomb." Timeline - The Race to Build the
Atomic Bomb. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. This timeline gave us an in-depth, sequential background on
the Atomic Bomb. It was very informative about not only the United States of America building
the bomb, but also the events leading up to the Start of the Manhattan Project and the discovery
of fission. It also educates on the other events going on in the United States during World War II
and the creation of the atomic bomb. To conclude, it informs about the dropping of the two
atomic bombs (Little Boy and Fat Man, as the bombs were called) on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
ending the World War.

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"How the First Chain Reaction Changed Science." The University of Chicago. Web. 15
Jan. 2016. This website gave us information about the very first self-sustaining nuclear chain
reaction and why it is important. It gave us specific information on when and where the reaction
happened and who was involved. It also mentions what the first chain reaction influenced. The
website tells about how UChicago funded the institutes for Nuclear studies and the studies of
metal, later known as the Enrico Fermi and the James Franck institutes, and how it allowed them
to keep the the people that had formed on campus to work on the Manhattan Project. What
strengthens the credibility of this website are the facts that the location of the first reaction made
the site and that quotes from the journals of those present were used.
"Leslie R. Groves." Atomic Heritage Foundation. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. This website
informs us on the early and later life of Lieutenant General Leslie R. Groves. The site gives us
specific dates and details about the most important parts of Leslie Groves life. It talks about
when he was given the role of Temporary Brigadier General in September of 1942, His role of
Temporary Lieutenant General from January to February of 1948, being vice president of the
Sperry Rand Corporation, and many other important details about him. At one point the site gets
into as much detail to quote Colonel Kenneth D. Nichols on his personal opinion on Groves. One
of the reasons that we decided to use the atomic heritage website for information on Leslie
Groves is that it has some very important dates for events in his life.
"Cold War Warrior." Cold War Warrior. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. This website helped us get a
basic understanding on Oppenheimer and his role in the Manhattan Project. It informed us about
his life, explaining that he was a theoretical physicist and the head scientist at the Los Alamos
National Laboratory, where most of the building of the atomic bomb took place. It stated that his
main role was to calculate the propagation of a fast neutron chain for an atomic weapon. For

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that reason he is often referred to as the father of the atomic bomb. This website made clear
exactly who Oppenheimer was, and that his job was basically to see if creating an atomic bomb
was physically possible, and then work with a team of scientists to construct the atomic weapon.
"General Leslie Groves (1896 - 1970)." General Leslie Groves. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. This
website gave us a very clear definition and background on Leslie Groves and his part in the
Manhattan Project. It made clear that he was placed in charge of the project, and that under his
direction, the research was carried out. It helped us understand that he was in charge of many
different phases of the project; including scientific, production, and security and planning for
the use of the bomb. This website gave us a specific understanding about the parts he played
and why he was important to the building of the atomic bomb. Under his direction, project plans
were established at Oak Ridge, Hanford, and the secluded Los Alamos installation in New
Mexico. This website really established a firm understanding about Leslie Groves and his
importance to the Manhattan Project.
Sheinkin, Steve, and Jay Colvin. Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most
Dangerous Weapon. Print. This book was extremely resourceful. It explained in full the details of
the Manhattan Project and all the key players. Not only that, but it elucidated in extreme detail
all the events that took place during World War II. The book explained the American side of the
race, but it also told about the Soviet Union and Germany. It told their stories as well, in just as
much detail. From reading the different chapters in this book, it helped us understand the
different countries involved in World War II, not just America. Because of this book, the entire
war was put into perspective. Instead of only learning about the American side, we also were
able to see the war from different angles, which opened our eyes to new viewpoint on the war
and the race to build the atomic bomb.

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